Laminated countertop. Rough edges from cutting and endcaps will not seal

5/4/2020 at 10:52:46 AM

This is why a pro should be hired...the cuts should have been done with a really good jigsaw and a "laminate blade"...the edges were not heated enough with heat gun to activate the glue they come with...only way to fix now is use "professional" heat gun or iron with cloth under to remove the edge pieces and then carefully use contact cement to reattach now ( you only have one chance to attach using contact glue sso be careful...the damaged part unfortunately will never be able to be fixed to new unless you cut a 1/4 in. off and redo edge. Maybe some grey silicon if not to fussy...edges if sticking up anywhere are routered with special bit or a good pro can use a file..good luck

5/5/2020 at 9:07:45 AM

Hi Martin.

I doubt you will be able to get the end pieces to attach to the ends. They are too rough. You could try to use a wood filler or two part epoxy to fill in the roughness and sand it smooth. That will still leave you with the hacked up laminate edges. The only way to fix the rough edge is to re-cut the counter with a proper blade. Not sure what method you used to cut it originally, but I use a circular saw with a fine tooth blade, 40T. You have to flip the counter over to avoid chipping. And tape the cut line with masking tape. Also use a straight edge clamped in place to cut a straight line. You can the use fine sandpaper to clean up the edge or a belt sander if you need to do some shaping to fit tight against the wall. You can do a test cut on a scrap piece of the counter to see how the blade will work. You will have to use contact glue or Gorilla glue to get the edges to stick. Clean off any existing glue before gluing them and use painter's tape to hold in place until dry.

You probably still need to do a sink cutout, sometimes it's easier and less headaches to hire someone that is skilled in this kind of installation.

Good luck!